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No doubt Thailand's new military rulers would prefer not to be making media waves. All is well and normal, the country back to business after the civilian Shinawatra government was rooted out. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has settled in, apparently to restore a broadly royalist order. He's even chairing the Board of Investment.

But the drama was generating press, even at a time when conflicts in other parts of the world continued to push Asia aside (despite China's continuing best efforts to show claws at home and abroad). It is hard to lose sight of a lost democracy. And let's face it, if the brass indeed can put the Thai economy in better order and bring back the appearance of social harmony, this is going to be weighty evidence that popular votes may not be the destiny of much of the region.

Just another busy day in Bangkok. (Photo: Wikipedia)

The immediate audience for the "all clear" is the foreign tourist market, a vital cog in keeping 99% of the workforce employed (based on Bank of Thailand data). Just after the recent coup, curfews were imposed and this didn't sit well with the visiting night owls. This week an email blast from the state tourism authority advised that even midnight to 4 a.m. was now open territory, with "the opportunity to enjoy all that Thailand has to offer."

A second target for reassurance was foreign investors, who may not actually have been spooked by martial law in the first place. The provisional authorities are pushing ahead on a big Toyota investment that had been in doubt during the pre-coup political tumult. Meantime, domestic industry chiefs, at least those who were not in swim with the previous government, seemed fine with the new order of things.

Whether the tight military band has sufficient chops to be able to manage the macroeconomy (which has been hurting despite the low unemployment) was a considerable focus of that press being generated. The early verdict seemed to be yes if you were reading Japan's Nikkei or no if your source was the Wall Street Journal (both are behind paywalls). The former saw bold steps to extricate the nation from a swamp of delay, crony capitalism and subsidies, while the latter said the junta was taking its own "populist tack" --with Gen. Prayuth selling the un-cityfied masses on "his own package of big-spending projects before they run out of patience and challenge his power grab."

Sub-elements of the unfolding story will no doubt keep emerging. This week came reports that migrant workers in the country (mostly Cambodian and Burmese) were fleeing because somebody with a badge or stripes put the squeeze on them. Maybe this was a field deputy who thought the time was ripe to undo a little Thaksin-era tolerance--the top generals seemed to be disavowing a crackdown, which would not do good for some businesses.

Another string to follow is the diplomatic one. American policy on democracy vs. autocracy in the developing world is perpetually a work in progress. Depends on where and what month. In this case, the U.S. Embassy frowned hard on the junta, and Thais of an anti-parliament bent took umbrage. Guess who seemed to be smiling on unelected rule? China! Which may create a strategic opening in what has long been a subtle ally of the West.

So, there should be plenty of material still to come from a land where, at least outside of the scenic and sensual spots, there is ostensibly nothing to write home about.